


RWBY: Getting to Know it

by CJ_Black



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, RWBY ReWrite, RWBY0, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_Black/pseuds/CJ_Black
Summary: Throughout my time as a fan of RWBY, I've come to accept that I'm just not satisfied with the objective quality of Rooster Teeth's RWBY anymore, even though I still love the series itself. And so, a thought occurred in my head. If I don't like the RWBY I'm getting, why not make one that I do? And thus, the RWBY rewrite, RWBY0 was born. A RWBY where I essentially went all the way back to the very concepts that formed the current RWBY universe we know as, "the show" and formed an entirely separate universe. This here is merely the information that will differ this setting from the original so you all won't be confused down the line.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. The New World

**Author's Note:**

> The following isn't an actual fanfiction, but rather is a sort of "introduction" to a rewrite/fanfic that I plan to put out after volume 8 concludes. If you don't want to read all of this information and would rather wait for the official fanfic to be out, then that's perfectly fine. However, if you are interested in seeing how different my rewrite's universe is from the main RWBY series, then I happily welcome you to read this and welcome all critiques, whether they be positive or negative. Before we begin though, a huge shout out goes out to 2 people. A RWBYtuber by the name of Raymond Mcneil/Celtic Phoenix Productions for his "Fixing RWBY" series whom I borrowed a few elements from to form my own rewrite universe. And the other shout out goes to my good friend, ExiaF91 whose "huntsmen guilds" concept for his own project was also used here. Thank you both for being amazing people whose ideas helped to manifest my own creation here. If any of you wants to support them, you can subscribe & follow Raymond on Youtube and Twitter, and you can follow Exia on Twitter.

**Introduction**

So, first things first, let's get the boring stuff out of the way. And fair warning, this is just going to be me explaining why I'm doing this rewrite in the first place, so if you don't care about any of that, you can skip to the next part. Some of you may already know me due to the username and some of you may have no idea who I am at all. To those who already know of me, hello again and to those who are meeting me for the first time, nice to meet you. So, to make a long story short, I genuinely love RWBY. From the very first moment our main protagonist, Ruby Rose first took out her Crescent Rose and blasted a beowolf in the face, I've been absolutely hooked on this show.

However, it has come to my attention, as someone who looks at the entertainment he takes in with a both a mere consumer and critical eye, that the quality of RWBY's writing is just bad. And no, I don't just mean it's bad because I don't like the way they're taking things, I mean it's bad because it's extremely inconsistent, there's an absolutely ridiculous amount of retcons in it and the story itself doesn't really flow together into one cohesive narrative. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate RWBY, as I've stated already, I love the series and am deeply invested in it to the point that despite all of the previously mentioned negatives, I'm determined to see this story to its end. However, this doesn't mean that I'm not going to want better objective quality for the entertainment I consume. I began to desire for things to go down different paths, for certain plot points to be built up and executed better than they were and for the problems which continued to plague the story's writing to be worked upon in subsequent volumes. Yet to this day, a good majority of my hopes would simply be turned into ashes. And so, an idea popped into my little mind; if I have a problem with the way things are in the current RWBY…why not just make my own. And it was from this simple little idea that the creation you're reading about today slowly began to take form, RWBY0.

**What is RWBY0?**

So RWBY0 is simply my own rewrite, or AU, of RWBY. Overtime, I've come to see several people rewrite RWBY with their own unique spins to the story and/or characters and this rewrite is no different from most of theirs. I say most because the thing that I would say separates RWBY0 from several other rewrites you might have seen before is that RWBY0 isn't trying to adhere to the blueprint of Rooster Teeth's RWBY at all, but rather it's built up from _mostly_ from scratch. What I mean is that I noticed that RWBY had problems that went as far deep as some of the very building blocks of the story and world themselves, problems that I had to tackle as well, lest I ended up making the same mistakes as the official writers. However, as I soon learned, once I started to mend the damage of those problems, the core of RWBY itself began to change and the more it drifted from the RWBY we're all use to. Essentially, RWBY0 is a fanfiction where I took the blueprints of RWBY proper, deconstructed them, and then reconstructed them to make what I believe is an objectively more cohesive story that better taps into the potential the ideas of RWBY had within them. So, while some faces in this story may be familiar, do remember that this is a completely different universe. And some of you may be asking what does the "0" in RWBY0 stand for? Well, it simply means that this is an entirely new RWBY that was re-made from the very beginning, or "from zero".

**Structure**

Unlike most fanfictions, RWBY0 won't be written in the traditional novel format, or even in script form. Instead, I will be writing all chapters/episodes of RWBY0 in summary/outline form. Why? Well, even though I'm working on this project, I'm also working on my own book as well and while I will give this fanfiction my attention and care, I wish to focus most of my concentration and energy into my book instead. Due to this decision, I don't want to focus myself on writing out an entire book for this fanfic, when I believe I have a way to tell this story and get all the important details across to readers.

**The Kingdoms:**

Unlike in Rooster Teeth's RWBY, the Remnant of RWBY0 consists of not 4 kingdoms, but instead 6 nations. These nations aren't simple city states but are instead actual countries of varying sizes that have a sort of "societal sphere" where their cities and towns can safely exist with little to no worry of grimm activity. I also renamed a majority of the nations from their kingdom counterparts, as the original names of RWBY's kingdoms don't really convey any sense of culture for any of the kingdoms and just seem extremely bland to me upon further inspection.

Avenir (Vale): American & Canadian inspired, it's located in the same location as the kingdom of Vale in RWBY.

Meili (Mistral): Eastern & Southern Asian inspired, it's located in the same location as the kingdom of Mistral in RWBY.

Einheit (Atlas/Mantle): European (primarily German and Russian) inspired, it's located on the western dragon-shaped continent.

Kulinda (Vacuo): Middle Eastern, African & Mexican inspired, it's located near the same location as the kingdom of Vacuo in RWBY, however Kulinda isn't primarily in the desert.

Menagerie: Australian & Polynesian inspired, it's located in the same location as the Menagerie of RWBY.

Ischryos: Greek & Italian inspired, it's located in what is the kingdom Atlas in RWBY, however the continent that it's on is a bit further south so it's not basically Remnant's North Pole.

**Dust:**

Dust in RWBY0 is the fossil fuel of Remnant, that can release different elemental effects depending on the type of dust in question. Dust can be "activated"/have its stored energy released via extreme pressure, sudden sharp force, or through the command of an individual's aura. Dust can exist in three forms; a crystalline form, powder and liquid form. There exist 6 types of natural dust, which can be found and harvested from the planet. However, by combining two of these dusts together without activating them, allows one to create artificial/secondary dust types.

**Types of Natural Dust:**

Fire (Red)

Water (Blue)

Wind (Green)

Earth (Brown)

Lightning (Yellow)

Gravity (Purple)

**Aura:**

Aura is a type of energy that is produced by the body of all living beings. On a scientific level, no one concretely knows exactly where or how this energy is being produced within an organism's body, leaving many to believe that aura is the very lifeforce of a living organism itself and that aura is more connected to the soul rather than the body. Even though aura is produced by all living creatures, not all of them have full access to their aura. In fact, in most cases, one's body only has access to roughly 5-15% of their total potential aura. For reasons that scientists cannot explain, it would seem like the body has some sort of limiter that allows only a small fraction of an organism's total aura to be available to them. However, there are several methods for one to be able to gain access to higher quantities of their aura, or "unlock" their aura.

The most conventional method is through rigorous physical training, as physical conditioning is a key aspect to one's ability to have access to more of their aura. It is estimated that a standard level huntsman has access to roughly around 20-25% of their total potential aura. However, this number has been shown to increase overtime with huntsmen training over the years. The second method to one unlocking their aura is through having someone whose own aura is unlocked to forcibly unlock another's through a method of pouring their own aura into their body and causing the host aura to react and burst forward. While taking far less time than training, this method is also incredibly dangerous and often frowned upon, as it could cause severe physical damage to the body of the one whose aura is being unlocked and could even result in them dying. When such method is being applied, it is highly recommended that a trained professional administers the process as they would have the lowest chances of something going wrong. The third and rarest method of unlocking a person's aura is through an individual experiencing a physically or mentally intense situation and their aura "unlocking itself" in order to protect/assist that individual in their time of need. While this method of unlocking both takes the least amount of time and holds the least amount of potential negative repercussions, it's also the least sought out method of the 3, due to how incredibly random it is, as there's no real guarantee that one's aura will unlock in such situations and the reasons why others do is an utter mystery.

**Effects of Aura:**

When one's aura is unlocked, they will notice a sort of "empowering" feeling coming over them, as this is their aura coursing through their body. However, it should be noted that aura naturally seeps from an individual's body and that in order to keep their aura from leaking out too much, a user must learn to be able "seal" their aura into their body. When this has been learned and relatively mastered, a user will have full control over the flow of their aura and will be able to essentially turn it off and on at their command. When aura is "turned on" or "activated", two things will occur with the body. The first is that one's physical capabilities will see an immediate increase. One's physical power, durability, senses and even reflexes will increase in their capabilities due to one unleashing their aura.

The second being that a user will notice that their stamina and endurance will be significantly increased far beyond what it normally would be. However, in both cases, the amount of all stated stats' increase varies depending on the individual. When activated, aura will gradually be depleted from a user with use and from the user receiving damage and when a person's aura levels are extremely low, they will then enter a state of extreme exhaustion and fatigue as the body will essentially re-seal the aura back in the body and will not expunge any more in order to keep the individual alive. If a living being was to ever completely run out of aura, they would simply die. However, it has been proven that one's aura can be recovered by an individual getting rest.

**Semblances:**

A semblance is an individual's special ability that is born from their aura. A semblance is essentially a person's "signature" on their aura, as they are shaped into being from their user's personality, desires and emotion. Semblances can be seen as reflections of an individual's self. Semblances are unlocked with the unlocking of their user' aura, along with a sort of instinctual "understanding" within their user on how their semblance works. However, even though an individual may be able to understand how their semblance works, they will still need time and practice with it in order to fully understand the best way(s) of how to use it. Semblances are fueled by aura, meaning that when one's aura levels are too low they will not be able to use their semblance as their body will not expunge the little aura it has left at that moment. It should be noted however, that no semblance is set in stone and it is possible for them to grow and evolve overtime through what scientists can only determine as significant growth or change within their user's self.

**Semblance Types:**

There are 4 different types of semblances and all semblances fit into 1 of the 4 types based on how they function.

Passive: These semblances are always active, meaning the user has no real control over them.

Switch: These are semblances that can be activated and deactivated at their user's will. Due to the fact

Trigger: These semblances require a certain condition or conditions to be met in order for them to activate.

Hybrid: These semblances contain qualities of at least two of the other types.

**Grimm:**

Unlike in Rooster Teeth's RWBY, the grimm in RWBY0 aren't simply just a horde of demonic beasts roaming the land, but they are also a plague. You see, in RWBY0 the grimm are beings that are created from an unknown virus infecting the bodies of humans and faunus alike, laying dormant until their host is deceased and then bends and twists the corpse into a horrible beast bent only on killing and spreading the virus. Due to this bizarre virus, grimm attacks leave no bodies behind as any victims of grimm attacks will either have been turned into grimm themselves or dragged off by the grimm in order to turn them elsewhere. Upon a body being converted into a grimm, the type of grimm they become seems to depend a lot on both the character of the former individual as well as the environment the body is in.

The virus apparently brings out a greater amount of the host's dormant power, making the grimm roughly 1.5-2 times stronger than the individual they once were. Due to this, it is common practice for any body that is infected or potentially infected to be cremated on the spot, to not allow a grimm to spawn. This is especially true for hunstmen who die to grimm out on the field. The only cure for the virus that scientists have discovered is aura, as it seems to be the only thing that kills the virus. However, normal civilians don't have enough aura in them to truly kill the virus once it's been introduced to their systems and it would appear that only huntsmen and other individuals who have their auras unlocked produce enough aura to kill the virus in their systems. Said virus runs utterly rampant within a grimm's body to the point where it oozes out of them, leaving transmission of the virus being something as simple as being bitten or even cut by a grimm. When a grimm dies, everything except its bones and the bone-like armor/features on it completely disintegrates.

Newborn and young grimm do not have the bone-like features on them and simply appear as completely black monsters. Though these features do take shape as a grimm grows older, as grimm seem to grow stronger and evolve the longer they exist. Grimm have also been shown to be far more active at night, as direct exposure to sunlight will harm and even kill younger grimm, as well as weaken the normal grimm. Grimm also seem to possess the ability to sense strong negative emotions, however it would appear that they merely use this ability as a means to seek out prey near them, though it should be noted that the greater the strength/amount of negative emotions there are near grimm, the easier it is for them to sense and become attracted to the source.

**Huntsmen:**

"Huntsmen" is the title given to highly trained warriors who are tasked with protecting their respective kingdom from both the grimm, as well as from hostile forces that would conspire against the kingdoms. Unlike in RWBY, the huntsmen of RWBY0 operate under various guilds across Remnant, which are each led by a "Guildmaster", who in turn take their orders from their respective "Grandmaster"; the highest ranked and most powerful huntsman in an individual kingdom. Grandmasters are not only the leaders of all huntsmen within an individual kingdom, but they are also one of the seats of each kingdom's council, meaning that Grandmasters have a fine degree of political power as well. Huntsmen have a universal ranking system which shows the overall capabilities and experience of an individual huntsman. The ranks-from highest to lowest-are as following; SS, S, A, B, C & D. "SS" obviously representing the grandmaster level, while "D" represents those who have just recently passed the exam and rookie huntsmen.

Every huntsmen guild is connected to the kingdom in which they are stationed in and all huntsmen are only allowed to conduct official huntsmen business within the borders of the kingdoms in which they have a license for. It should also be noted that in the RWBY0 universe, there are no huntsmen academies. Rather, combat schools are used as a means to train and tutor young individuals so that they may be able to take the huntsman exam of that kingdom when they are of age. Should one pass said exam, they will receive an invitation to join any guilds of that particular kingdom that were impressed by/interested in their performance during the exam. While combat schools are the most preferred method to train an individual for the huntsmen exam, they are not necessary as almost anyone can take the exams if they have the funding for it and they're in the age range. However, it should be noted that individuals can also receive the opportunity to take a kingdom's huntsman exam if they receive special recommendation from that kingdom's grandmaster.

**Faunus:**

The faunus of RWBY0 aren't a completely separate species as they're made out to be in the main RWBY universe, instead they are a sort of "cousin species" to humans, as it has been shown that humans and faunus can interbreed and have healthy offspring with each other. Even though faunus are accepted as relatives of humanity, to this day, no one is certain where the faunus genes originated from or when exactly they started to appear. Some even joke that it's like the faunus just popped into existence out of nowhere. It should also be noted that faunus genetics aren't anywhere near as complicated and nonsensical as they are in the main series. As stated, humans and faunus can reproduce healthy children together with each other, and usually the child will take on a faunus trait of their faunus parent. However, in the case of two different types of faunus having a child together, conceiving a child is much more difficult than if the faunus were mating with the same type, but it's still possible and the child will usually inherit the faunus traits from their mother, though this is not a guarantee and the child could inherit the faunus traits from their father.

**Faunus Types:**

Purebloods: Purebloods is the category given to faunus whose parents were both faunus, meaning they have no human blood in them. These faunus all have several animal traits on their otherwise human forms. For reasons that no one really knows, purebloods are incapable of generating a semblance. However, they aren't at a total disadvantage, as they each have their own unique abilities based around what type of faunus they are.

Half-bloods: Half-bloods is the category given to faunus who are the child of a faunus and a human. Unlike their pureblood cousins, half-bloods will only carry a singular animal trait on their bodies. Also, unlike purebloods, half-bloods can develop semblances, however they will not develop any abilities regarding the animal their faunus traits are of.


	2. Update on Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple update to the previous chapter regarding some things that I have changed or forgot to go over regarding the worldbuilding of RWBY0. After this, everything will be set in stone for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, CJ here. First and foremost, I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to look at this background dump for the setting of RWBY0, I really appreciate it whether you liked what I came up with or not. And to those who have become interested in this new story and what it has to offer, all I can say is that I hope I'm able to live up to your expectations. Now, onto why we're here in the first place. After several people brought up some issues with the information of RWBY0's world and had questions on some things I didn't really clarify, I'm posting this here to both correct my errors and clarify some things I forgot to mention.

**The Nations**

After taking into consideration I wanted these cultures to make some semblance of sense partially due to their location and the characters who live in them, I see now that I made a huge mistake by having Einheit ( my Atlas) and Ischryos in their original designated locations, as there's little reason for a culture similar to our world's Greek and Italian cultures to stem from place that would experience such strong winter seasons. So, I will be switching the two, so Einheit is back to the continent its main universe counterpart resides, albeit it will be a bit lower so it's not the North Pole. And Ischryos will now be located on the western dragon continent near the continent of Sanus.

Speaking of Sanus, upon further outlining, I've decided that I'm going to be flipping the continent, because when I really look at it, due to its position on the planet, the main universe's Vale and my Avenir should legitimately be Remnant's Africa instead of the European-like/American-like settings that they are. Besides, the setting most suited to be Remnant's Africa is far more fitting to Vacuo/Kulinda (my Vacuo), so it only makes sense for it to be moved.

**Mining Dust**

I had explained that dust can be triggered/activated via a sudden sharp force to the dust in question, so some brought up and excellent conundrum, "how can miners mine dust if hitting it would cause it to activate?" For this, I came up with the solution of miners mining dust not with pickaxes, but instead a tool that cuts away at dust crystals by gradually chipping away at them at a constant rate upon being used on them. Basically, it would constantly be applying a rather low cutting force to the crystals that would take a while to cut through the dust but would reduce the chance of triggering close to zero.

A similar tool would also be used to grind dust it into its powder form, though instead of apply the low cutting force to one particular area of the dust crystal, it would applying it to the entire crystal at once, grinding it down. As for how dust can be turned into its liquid state, it would involve pouring dust powder into a particular liquid-like chemical solution, which would then dissolve the dust powder, but trap the energy of said powder within itself. Thus, becoming liquid dust.

**Artificial Dust**

As of writing-and possibly posting-this update, I have no idea how dust is combined within the main universe of RWBY. However, I did create my own method for how dust is combined/artificial dust is created within the RWBY0 universe. But this isn't solely my idea, as I got the idea for it from a RWBY rewrite series called "RWBY Alternate" by Jerry Freeman. Basically, in RWBY0, one combines two dust types into a new one by first converting the different dusts into the liquid dust state and then pouring both into a sort of "dust molder" along with a particular chemical solution. This combination is then left in a cold environment, where the substance begins crystalizing into its solid form and the previously separate elemental energies slowly and calmly meld into one, adapting completely new properties and thus, becoming an entirely new type of dust. However, it should be noted that the process of crystallization for this new dust is not a quick process and depending on the size of the intended crystal can take anywhere from months to a year to complete.

**Grimm Virus**

I saw that some weren't exactly a fan of my idea of turning the grimm into a sort of demonic plague and I'm not going to lie, I can understand why one wouldn't be okay with this "grimm virus" idea as it's not exactly an easy premise to sell, so it's okay. But I can guarantee you all that there's a plot-related reason for why I took this path with the grimm, so at the very least it's not a random piece to this world. And in case there were any confusion regarding the virus itself and transmission of it; no, the grimm virus isn't something that's naturally present in a person's body in the RWBY0 universe, rather it's something that only exists in the grimm themselves and can be transmitted to others through direct contact with a grimm or their essence.

**Have Everyone Unlock Their Aura**

Now, I know what some of you must have been thinking when you read the section about the grimm and how huntsman-level aura/high aura amounts can kill the grimm virus in one's system. "Wouldn't it make sense for everyone in this setting to unlock their aura"? And the answer would be, yes, that would be the most logical method and during the early parts of the kingdoms' histories, this was the relative norm. However, as the kingdoms grew in size, pushed the grimm further and further back and with the establishment of the huntsmen guilds, the civilians of RWBY0 have come to view the grimm as an ever existing threat, but not one that many of them will ever have to personally deal with in their lives. A good majority of grimm activity within the nations of RWBY0 occur around the border of the nations, outside the nations and a few times-with the occasional small grimm or two that slip deeper into the country than normal-within a nation's borders; and even that's not that common.

So, with this air of peace, stability, and normalcy in their lives now for several generations, there really isn't a mandatory call for civilians of the RWBY0 universe to train and unlock their aura, unless they wish to become huntsmen. The overall mentality of most civilians is that the huntsmen will protect them from all grimm threats or that there's no way a significant grimm threat with breach the countries, so there's no reason for them to worry or train themselves. Just relax and go about their normal lives within the safety of their borders.

**Huntsman Rankings**

Alright, this one may be a bit of a spoiler, but I feel it's a bit necessary to explain the different levels a huntsman in RWBY0 can achieve. Due note that these rankings aren't solely based on pure strength alone and that a huntsman/warrior's rank is based on their overall combat capabilities including factors such as intelligence, resiliency, strength, etc. There's more to a good warrior than just being physically strong. Plus, these ranks also measure in their efficiency in orchestrating their duties as huntsmen. I should also inform you all that upon further consideration, I've decided to remove the "SS" rank from this ranking system, as I've come to find it both redundant and see it as just unnecessarily bloating things.

S = Grandmaster Level

A = Elite/Guildmaster/Grandmaster Candidate Level

B = Advanced Level

C = Standard/Experienced Level

D = Novice Level

**Transferring Huntsmen & Wanderers**

So, when I brought up how huntsmen in RWBY0 can only commence legal huntsman activities in the nation they have a license for, it brought up the question of what's keeping a huntsman from transferring to a guild of another nation? And to that I simply say, absolutely nothing except their personal pride and beliefs. Every huntsman in RWBY0 is free to transfer to another guild in their nation at any point in their career if they're capable. They can also just straight up work in another country if they both desire and are capable. Usually though, most people have a sort of "hometown pride/loyalty" to their native nation and primarily stick to operating within its borders. If you're a huntsman who's in a nation that you currently don't have the license for and wish to legally continue your work there, you will be required to both receive a license for that respective nation and join one of its guilds. The only exception would be if you're operating on approved business.

And then, there are the rare classification of huntsmen that seem to have almost completely died out by the current age of the RWBY0 universe, the "wanderers". To make a complicated explanation short, wanderers are a type of huntsmen who don't affiliate themselves with any guild or nation, and instead will take on any request available to them. While this does give one a great deal of freedom in terms of how they carry themselves as a huntsman, it isn't without its drawbacks. Their pay is usually lower than their affiliated comrades, they usually don't have the same priority with being given potential missions, their popularity with the general public is usually not as high as those who're connected through guilds; as wanderers don't normally have much of a social presence in the world or opportunities to be sponsored by companies/groups, and most don't normally receive the same benefits offered to guild-affiliated huntsmen. While this is sadly the norm, there are exceptions to this in the case of wanderers who manage to rise in the ranks and prove themselves to both the nations and their guild-connected fellow huntsmen. Why in many cases, wanderers who reach this level often become the stuff of legends amongst both civilians and huntsmen alike and are treated with the utmost prestige and respect. All in all, while the path you choose to walk does have some weight to it, the results you bring from that path are just as important.

**Starle**

As I have previously brought up, the grimm of RWBY0 are vulnerable to attacks from or consisting of aura, as it temporarily negates their recovery capabilities. Upon thinking about this and remembering how casually the people of the main universe travel via land, sea and air despite their planet being pretty much overrun with demons and they seemingly have no real way to increase the chances of them not getting attacked, I thought to myself, "why isn't there some kind of material that could channel aura and/or be used to ward off the grimm to a degree"? And so, it was that idea that gave birth to the creation of an ore in the RWBY0 universe that fills this purpose; starle.

In its natural state, starle doesn't display any abnormal properties and acts as any other ore. However, when aura is exposed to starle, that is where the strange effects start to take place. When exposed to aura, starle absorbs the aura into itself and its density is strengthen and is enhanced to varying degrees based on how much aura was taken in. Yet no matter how strong the starle ends up becoming, its overall mass remains constant, meaning that it retains its unusually light weight, appearing as though the aura it takes in somehow strengthens/enhances its molecular structure. Another strange anomaly that has been observed with starle is that while the aura it takes in is released unless outside forces are keeping it in, the aura isn't released in the same way it would be from other materials. With living beings and other material that has aura channeled into/through it, the aura will gradually flow out in a manner similar to steam. However, when aura is released from starle, it does not flow out, but instead radiates outward in a manner similar to light or heat. And because of this, aura takes considerably longer to dissipate from starle than other materials.

It is because of these strange properties when interacting with aura that has led to starle becoming a key asset in many different areas of life on Remnant to prosper and grow despite the grimm plague. These areas include starle being used to create weapons for huntsmen to combat grimm, creating stronger metals for important buildings and structures to both guarantee their stability and structure; as well as act as a sort of repellent to most grimm with modes of public transportation that run the risk of being exposed to grimm activity, and creating tools used to effectively restrain individuals who've had their auras unlocked. It should also be noted that the purity of starle metal is a key factor in what it can/will be used for. The purer starle metals retain the ability to absorb and radiate aura and are usually used to create restraints and public transportation. Meanwhile, the less pure starle metals do not retain the former's abilities to radiate aura and store aura, but can channel aura effectively and increase their overall toughness and are usually used to create weapons.

**Signature Weapons**

This is something that I may not need to go into, but I feel it would help to avoid potential confusion in the beginning of the story. Most of our future rookies in RWBY0 will not start out with the amazing high-tech and powerful weapons associated with them in the main universe. This is due to most of them being students at combat schools prior to taking the huntsman exam. In RWBY0, under normal circumstances aspiring huntsmen don't obtain these weapons of mass destruction until they have become licensed huntsmen, as the governments of Remnant saw that if these learning youths were given both the capabilities to create and wield such things then they ran the risk of putting both themselves and others in great danger if such tools are misused or abused. Due to this, students at combat schools are taught-with adult supervision-how to wield regular blunt, bladed and ranged weapons. So this means Ruby and Yang will not start off with Crescent Rose and Ember Celica at the beginning of the series and will obtain them after they officially become huntresses.

However, such restrictions are only present under normal circumstances with the combat school students. In some situations, like in the case of Weiss and Blake, they will already have their weapons due to their individual backgrounds allowing them to already have access to them. However, you all shouldn't count on them having access to these weapons during the huntsman exam, as the rules specifically forbid any such weapons from being used and participants will instead choose from an array of weapons provided for them.

Think of this as just a little logical "road bump", as it makes no sense for many of our characters in the show to have access to such powerful weapons so early in the story before they were even at the academies. Seriously, they can't go on any form of missions until they're students at an academy and logically, they shouldn't be allowing children to build and wield such things in the main universe. I'm just trying to correct some of the issues with the worldbuilding with this.

**Where & When to Catch RWBY0**

And now we approach the home stretch of this little update, as I sadly realized I never really divulged this information when I first posted the RWBY0 information. While I truly do appreciate all who became intrigued/invested in this document here, I must inform you all that not only will the actual RWBY0 project not be posted on this particular document and that after this update, there will be no more parts added to the "RWBY0: Getting to Know It" document. Each RWBY0 installment will be a single season/book of the story and will be its own separate document consisting of 25 episodes/chapters each.

As for the date in which you all can expect to see the first episode of season 1 to go up, I can confirm with you all that-unless another RWBY hiatus occurs from Rooster Teeth-episode 1 of RWBY0 Season 1 will officially be up on March 27th. It's also important that I let you guys know that unless something comes up in my life in which I won't be able to update regularly, you can expect 2 episodes to be uploaded every week for each installment following the week of the first episode; on Wednesday and Saturday, meaning that it should normally take 13 weeks for each season of RWBY0 to be completed.

And speaking of the 25 episodes, I've set up a format for how these seasons will roughly go. Do know though that this isn't exactly how every season will be, but is rather a sort of rough template for them. Episode 1 will be the introduction to the season, episodes 2-12 will be the arc of the first half of the season, episodes 13 and 14 will be a kind of break period and potentially-it ultimately depends on the season-bridge to the arc of the second half of the season with episodes 15-25. Again, remember that this is a rough template and not all seasons will conform to this format to the letter, as it ultimately depends on the overall plot at the time, though there will still be order & structure regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, that's everything I wanted to go over and inform you all on regarding both the RWBY0 project and the information of its setting. I hope that you all enjoyed this last bit of "info dumping" to some degree and the next time we'll see each other, it'll be on the premiere of RWBY0 Season 1. Take care, my dudes and I'll see you all again on March 27th.


	3. Final Update

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I know what you’re going to say, “CJ, what’s this? You said in the update that nothing else would be added to this document here and that anything else posted would be with the actual story.” And you’d be correct my dear reader/critic, I did indeed say that. But, recent real-world events over in Texas and realizations on my end had me realize I needed to make 1 more update on this thing before I can officially put it to bed and look towards the future of the actual project.

**Premiere Update**

So, my original plan was to post the first chapter of RWBY0 on March 27th, as that would’ve been a week after the final episode of volume 8. However, as we are all aware, there was a terrible winter storm that struck Texas recently and due to all the damage it caused, the volume was pushed back an additional week as the crew stationed in Texas tried their best to survive and adjust. So, because of this, I’ve adjusted the schedule of chapter/episode 1 of RWBY0. Since I have been more than proven to be completely unable to predict how the universe will work and what may or may not happen in our world, instead of giving an exact date for the premiere, I’ve decided to just say the premiere will be the Saturday after volume 8’s final episode.

This change was made so that in the case that another extreme scenario forces things to be pushed back or an episode of the main show needs a little more time and is pushed back, it won’t affect my end of things significantly, as this schedule is much more adaptable.

**Arc Style Update**

In the previous update, I brought up a certain type of “formula” for how long arcs in each season/book will be on average, with them each taking up one half of a season. However, upon looking into several modern anime that pace their stories either well or moderately well, I decided that my original choice was far too rigid and stagnant. So, to put it simply, each arc will be however long is needs to be. This will allow each individual arc to flow much more naturally than they would have under my original formula.

This story is much more of a traditionally linear story, so therefore events will come and go as the story progresses forward. Unlike the show where it seems like things in the later volumes contradict events/details we saw in the past, the structure of RWBY0 will not have such an issue. Everything that you all will see will go together with what came before it and should anything not make sense or seem off, don’t worry, it will more than likely either be explain later down the line or a new piece of information will be disclosed to better illuminate it. 

**Color Naming Rule**

So yeah, I’m just going to come out and say it, I’m straight up dropping the whole “color naming rule” thing in RWBY0. Why, you may ask? Well, it’s for several reasons. The first and biggest reason as to why I’m dropping the color naming rule from RWBY proper is because this is simply a completely different universe where such a thing would have no reason to exist in the first place. In the main series, the in-universe explanation as to why so many characters in the world of Remnant are either named after colors or have names that vaguely connect to colors is apparently due to some big movement for freedom of art/expression after the Great War, which was partially fought to control such things. However, in RWBY0, the Great War in this universe was started and fought for completely different reasons, therefore meaning that the whole “expression of art” thing has no reason to happen in the first place, therefore there’s no reason to use it here.

Another reason for my decision is that I personally find the whole color names things ridiculous in the first place because it seems so unlikely that it would go about to the extent that it did in the main universe. Seriously, you mean to tell me _everyone_ or nearly everyone around the world conformed to this single idea to name their children with names that have connections to colors? And then to have those same children and their grandchildren continue this ideology into the current era? I’m sorry, but that doesn’t sound logical at all. I could’ve even given them a pass with having a single kingdom or a couple of characters have these strange names, but for it to be on such a global scale 80 years after the war?! Yeah, nope…not buying it.

And then there’s the final reason being simply, I actually plan on giving each of the 6 nations in my rewrite their own distinct cultures based off a mixture of different real-world cultures, so it would make far more sense for the characters from those locations to have names that fit those particular cultures. I can see how the color name rule works in RWBY proper due to every kingdom essentially being as bland as unsalted saltine crackers as they really have no characters to themselves outside of their geography. So, it would be perfectly fine for them to give all the characters a universal set of names void of any sense of culture for them, as there really isn’t any real culture to begin with. But unfortunately, that same mindset can’t apply to RWBY0 as there are actual different cultures that separate the nations.

All that being said, some pre-existing RWBY characters that will appear in RWBY0 will maintain their original names while some pre-existing characters’ names will be changed. It ultimately comes down to where each character will be from and/or their family line. 

**Different Universe/Continuity**

Before I forget, I know this shouldn’t be necessary, but I feel I should remind everyone who’s reading this and will eventually read the actual story, that this is a rewrite. This is a completely different universe to the RWBY you know, so certain things may go against the continuity-what little there actually is-of the main universe. For example, while Ruby Rose may be the younger half-sister of Yang Xiao Long in the main universe, this isn’t the case in RWBY0, where Ruby is the daughter of Crow(yes, that’s how his name is spelled in this universe because the Q is really stupid when you stop and think about it) & Summer Rose; making her and Yang cousins. Or even Blake having a much darker skin tone in this universe than her show counterpart, due to both her heritage and the type of climate she grew up in. Though these are details do contradict the show and what we’ve seen so far, it’s perfectly fine here because-again-this is a completely different universe, so please remember that as you read on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, with that I PROMISE you all that there will be no more updates uploaded onto this document and everything else can be seen and explained within the story itself. So-for real this time-I’ll see you guys 1 week after volume 8’s finale.


End file.
